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Pardon My French... Homemade French Dressing from Grandma's Depression Era, That Is — Mystery Chef's Cheap DIY Recipes

By Vicki McClure Davidson

WWII cookbook: The Mystery Chef's Own Cook Book

Classic, easy/cheap home cooking, The Mystery Chef's Own Cook Book, by John MacPherson, published in 1934, then again in 1945.

The classic cookbook, The Mystery Chef's Own Cook Book, sadly is no longer in print. It was written by Depression era/WWII radio show chef and self-trained cooking expert from London (quite famous and revered at the time) John MacPherson. The book is a frugalista's dream. It has a wealth of information on how to cook quickly, cheaply, and easily. If you can find this gem of a cookbook online or in a used bookstore, buy it! If someone you know has it, borrow it.

Common sense and frugality and fascinating cooking tips from a by-gone era fill this volume — it's a must-have in a thrift-minded kitchen or for cookbook collectors.

This cookbook originally came out in 1934, and was reprinted in 1945. I have the 1945 edition, and am not sure what was changed or added from the earlier edition.

For instance, I've noticed the term "refrigerator" is used instead of the older "icebox" term, typical of older cookbooks and American cooks. My grandmother called the appliance an "icebox" until the day she died, which was in 1995. This term could have been revised for the later edition, or it accompanies newer recipes, or MacPherson used the term correctly early on because iceboxes were being replaced by modern refrigerators during the 1930s... I have no idea which it is. So that's why I've included both publication dates. Many of the recipes in the book, from what I can deduce, are from the Great Depression era, from pre-World War II. But some appear to be newer 1945 additions.

A fabulous old print ad (1935) below for one of GE's early refrigerators. The graphic used in the ad is reminiscent of the popular Nick and Nora Charles comedy-detective Thin Man film series, which starred William Powell and Myrna Loy and debuted the year before in 1934:

Early refrigerator print ad: General Electric Hotpoint appliance advertisement, 1935 | Credit: mcudeque

You may be thinking, "Why would I want to make my own French dressing when I can just buy a bottle of it at the store?" Why, indeed... have you checked out the skyrocketing cost of that pre-made oil-and-vinegar stuff lately?

Save money by making your own fresh French dressing — when The Mystery Chef's Own Cook Book was written, pre-made store-bought salad dressings had been around for more than a decade, but were an extravagance few families could afford or justify buying (much like our economy today). Dressings and homemade condiments have been around for centuries and until recently, were made from scratch, since the ingredients are typically inexpensive. Doing the DIY with many salad dressings will save you a significant amount of money (most dressings are now approaching 4 dollars a bottle), don't take all that much time to prepare, and the taste will be superior. I've chosen to offer MacPherson's recipe for French dressing. Simple recipe that you can make in quantities. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge and it will last just about indefinitely. And without artificial colors or preservatives.

Below this recipe for the French dressing I've also included a few other recipes MacPherson offers for using the dressing in some unique, cost-cutting salads.

Beyond that, use your imagination and have fun experimenting on your own — here's quoted info from the book's author:

Perfect French dressing can be made in two or three minutes.

When making French dressing, I use 1 cup of olive oil to 3/4 cup of vinegar. I much prefer malt vinegar or wine vinegar, but some prefer the flavor of Tarragon. I do not believe I ever served a salad when the guests did not praise the French dressing, and many noted connoisseurs dine at my table. Many have said that it is the best French dressing they ever tasted, and yet it contains nothing but the simplest ingredients.

You can use either malt, tarragon, wine or cider vinegar, but if you wish to make the same kind of dressing that I make, then use malt vinegar and be sure to get a real Hungarian paprika. I have never been able to find a good paprika in any grocery store. If there is a Hungarian store in your city, buy your paprika there.
[...]

I make my French dressing in quantities, and I do not put any garlic in it because a French dressing with any garlic flavor cannot be used on a fruit salad. If you desire a slight flavor of garlic, then rub a cut clove of garlic around a bowl, rub well, then shake the French dressing thoroughly and pour it into the bowl, beat it around with a fork or spoon, and serve.

When mixing French dressing in quantity, use a mason jar, but be sure to have a rubber on. Put all the ingredients into the mason jar and shake vigorously and they will combine perfectly. When the dressing is put into a refrigerator, the oil will float and become solid; in that case, warm the jar slightly by putting it in a warm place (not hot) then shake vigorously and the dressing will assume the consistency of cream. When put back in the refrigerator, the dressing will again separate but the oil will not get solid as it did the first time. You do not need to warm the dressing after the first time you use it; after that you can take it directly from the refrigerator and shake and it will be perfect.

French Dressing

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. pepper, if desired

8 T. olive oil

6 T. vinegar

Place all ingredients in a small mason jar with rubber. Screw cap tight and shake well and the ingredients will become thick and well combined. Or place ingredients in bowl and beat with rotary egg beater. Keeps indefinitely in jar or bottle. Shake thoroughly before serving.

Mystery Chef Potato Salad

This recipe makes a large bowl of potato salad.

12 med. sized potatoes

2 med. sized onions

1/4 lb. almonds

1/2 c. finely chopped parsley

Wash potatoes and boil them with their skins on, starting them in cold water with a lid on the pot and no salt in the water. While the potatoes are boiling, blanch the almonds by putting them in a cup and filling the cup with boiling water. In a few minutes, the skins will remove easily. Cut these almonds into very fine slices. Now cut up the two onions very fine.

Potatoes should be boiled until they are thoroughly soft, and crack open. Then strain the water from them and remove skins, placing the potatoes in a large bowl. Break the potatoes with a large spoon until like very coarse mashed potatoes; then make French dressing (see above), pour over the potatoes while still warm. Then make Boiled Dressing, as follows:

Boiled Dressing

3 T. butter

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. paprika

3 egg yolks

1 c. hot milk

1/4 c. hot vinegar

Place the butter in a bowl and stir until creamy. Add the salt, mustard, and paprika; then separate 3 eggs and drop the 3 egg yolks into the butter mixture and stir around until thoroughly mixed. Heat 1 cup of milk in the top part of a double boiler; then pour the hot milk into the butter and egg mixture, stirring constantly while adding. Return this mixture to the double boiler and cook until thick; then remove from fire and add a quarter of a cup of vinegar that has been heated. Stir this into the dressing.

Thoroughly mix in the potatoes, and at the same time, add the finely sliced almonds, the finely chopped onion, and parsley. Then stir the whole mixture together until thoroughly mixed. Chill and serve when wanted. (In the final mixing of the salad, add a little salt if desired.)

An easy salad recipe, using the Mystery Chef's French dressing:

String Bean Salad

1 lb. cold cooked string beans

2 small white onions

French dressing

Slice onions into paper thin slices, and cross-cut.

Place on plate the desired amount of cold beans. Scatter over them some of the finely sliced onion and pour 1-1/2 tablespoons of French dressing over each serving.

Here's another recipe for using the Mystery Chef's French dressing:

Quick Fruit Salad

Canned pear or pineapple

Lettuce

Cream cheese or cottage cheese

French dressing

Place fruit on lettuce leaf, put a ball of cream or cottage chese in the center and pour French dressing over it.

One more Mystery Chef dressing recipe, quite different from the French dressing — this one with fresh horseradish is delightfully piquant, and can be used as a spicy side dipping sauce on a party appetizer tray, or put over meats and vegetables, into salads, and as a sandwich spread.

Horseradish Cream Dressing

4 T. grated horseradish
1 tsp. salt
2 T. vinegar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (if desired)
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 c. cream

Beat cream until stiff. Then add the other ingredients and serve.

Source:
MacPherson, John, The Mystery Chef's Own Cook Book, The Blakiston Co., Philadelphia, PA, 1934, reprinted 1945.
Wikipedia.org, "Refrigerator," (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator#History).

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